Interview with Laurent Blanc, founder of The Good Life
We had already talked about The Good Life magazine in the article: review of the men's paper press . We then qualify it as being the most balanced of men's magazines. You will see that the same is true for their economic model.
The illustrations in the magazine are always very graphic and neat.
In addition to responding to current developments in media (offering physical and digital, and bringing together content publishing and product distribution under the same brand), the wish of Laurent Blanc, founder of The Good Life, is to create a complete universe that goes beyond the pages of the magazine. This is what he explains in this interview:
- evolution from paper format to digital,
- economic models to follow,
- alternative to advertising remuneration,
- future of The Good Life.
Transcription of the interview with Laurent Blanc:
I am Laurent Blanc and I am founder of the magazines “Idéat” and “The Good Life”. “Idéat”, I founded the magazine 15 years ago. It's a design magazine in fact, architecture. And “The Good Life” which is a men’s lifestyle magazine that I founded two and a half years ago.
Can you introduce us to “The Good Life”?
“The Good Life” is a hybrid magazine which is quite fashionable today, hybridity. We see hybrid cars, we see hybrid cameras. Even people are hybrids now. So, it mixes two genres that normally don't mix in magazines, global economic news. So, it talks very, very little about France and a lot about the economic world which is moving forward and with lifestyle. So, a mix of fashion but also things that are a bit masculine, cars, boats, but also music and even dance, contemporary art. And it’s all mixed together almost imperceptibly. It is also hybrid in form and hybrid in substance. We have seen it, but it is also hybrid in form and therefore hybrid between book and magazine. In fact, it has the format of a book, the paper of the book but the content of a magazine. There is a lot of text like in a book with small photos. Whereas in magazines, it's mostly big photos and not a lot of text. And so, it is this mixture which creates its originality. Which means that in the end, it’s almost an object.
Who is “The Good Life” for?
This magazine is not only of interest to people over 50 who have a lot of money, but also interests a lot of young people. In particular, we are very, very well represented in business schools, and I find that to be extremely reassuring. So, this means that the age groups range from a typical business school student to those over 50 who are established in life. And this mixture seems to live well. It's quite interesting.
What do you think of the evolution from paper to digital format?
Rather than putting digital on paper, it turns out that the readers of “The Good Life” are ultra-connected. Much more than average. So that means things are more complicated than we imagine. You see. We tend to put digital and paper aside. And actually, no, since our readers are ultra connected. It can live together. It’s not because we read “The Good Life” on paper on the weekend because there is a slightly sensitive side to touching this paper…. In any case, nothing will replace the pleasure of sitting in a good armchair on Saturday with a small cup of coffee and reading your favorite magazine. There is a sensitive side. That doesn't mean that obviously, five minutes just after or before, you can go on your tablet or on the internet to look for information. Moreover, it is quite complementary since on “The Good Life”, we have applications in particular with addresses of hotels and restaurants around the world. So everything is very complementary. We have an application called “The Good Spots” that we can consult, which is a free application and in which we can if you want to go – I don’t know – to Buenos Aires for example. You type in Buenos Aires and we will give you our three best hotels in Buenos Aires. You can choose your room in the hotel. The restaurants you can go to with a setting that we like, and then the 3 or 4 important museums there. And once you are in Buenos Aires, there is even a GPS geolocation system so you can go to the restaurant, guided by a tablet.
In the evolution from paper to digital, are there economic models to follow?
The problem for all these publishers who tend to bet everything on digital is that digital advertising is sold by the kilo now. So, it’s very complicated to make sites profitable today. You have to invest a lot to make these sites beautiful. And at the same time, advertising is now selling less and less expensively because the buyers of these advertisements or the agencies which buy the advertisements for the advertisers are very attentive to the number of visitors and therefore afterwards, we manage to buy the advertising at kilo and profitability is very difficult to obtain in fact. Whereas for the press part, it's true that buying advertising in a magazine is still quite expensive. And then, we don't just buy a circulation, a number of readers in the press. We also buy the quality of a magazine, the quality of its paper, its environment, the fact that it is glossy, luxurious and we buy a bit of all that. This is why press advertising sales rates are still fairly preserved in fact. So, the economic model is more interesting in the press than on the Internet.
Is there an alternative to selling advertising space?
This is what we do with the concept. That's, I think, a way for a paper publisher. I am a small paper publisher. And for a small paper publisher, I think that the intelligent solution to go on the net because obviously you have to go there, you have to be there, is to go there not by putting your paper content for free on the internet, but rather to promote your brand and go online to do business. For example, over the last two and a half, three years, we have made “The Good Life” almost a brand because we are actually selling a universe. And that allowed us to launch an e-commerce site which offers a certain number of people who go to the site the opportunity to find this universe and buy part of this universe by purchasing a model of a boat, a shirt , a painting, a photograph by a famous photographer, a world map, contemporary furniture signed by a great designer of the 20th century. So, they are happy to find this universe again. On the other hand, it has nothing to do with the magazine. It is not because we present an object in the magazine that we will be able to buy it on the e-shop. It's the same universe but there is no correlation. The magazine remains a magazine, it's journalism. The e-shop remains an e-shop. It's commerce. There is a wall between the two. We will not build a bridge between the e-shop and the magazine.
How is the fashion industry represented in “The Good Life”?
It's an integral part of the lifestyle, it's a fairly casual but chic fashion. It's not ultra trendy but we have brands like Kitsuné, APC, Acné. But we also have Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs. And it’s this somewhat heterogeneous, cool-chic mix that makes readers of “The Good Life” recognize themselves in it. But “The Good Concept Store” is not a specific fashion e-commerce site. Fashion is only part of what he offers.
What is the future of “The Good Life” ?
So if the e-commerce site works, we saw that with “The Good”, it begins to make a mark since it works well. In two or three years, we will try to open a physical store in Paris to materialize the concept. So, a small shop but in which we will fit a little of the whole universe which is described on the e-commerce site. And then maybe afterward, one day, we will have a restaurant called “The Good Kitchen”. But when we enter a store called “The Good Concept Store” or a restaurant called “The Good Kitchen”, we will enter the world of the magazine. It's starting to work globally because "The Good Life" magazine was just released in Chinese version two weeks ago in Shanghai, and we are in talks to sell a license in Korea and Germany as well. So, it is a concept that is available internationally.
Interviewer: Thank you very much Laurent.
Yes, please.
The convergence of media and e-commerce
A few weeks ago, The Good Concept Store opened its doors: it is an online concept store which offers objects in line with the world of paper magazines. You can therefore buy good Argentinian wine , a model of Riva , or iconic pieces of modern design .
Homepage of the Good Concept Store.
Where it is really well done is that the products are explained. And even without buying, it's informative and pleasant to browse the different sheets, particularly to gain graphic literacy.
But why are we seeing more and more of this convergence between media and e-commerce sites?
Increasingly reduced advertising revenues
Faced with competition from free media (particularly digital), often of high quality, and the arrival of sites with niche audiences, necessarily more specialized than their paper predecessors, the selling prices of paper pages and banners are falling. And therefore the revenues of the traditional press too.
The other weakness of certain classic players is the too tenuous relationships that they sometimes maintain with their advertisers (= those who buy advertising space), which harms the quality of the content, and leads to a desertion of 'part of the readership.
Faced with these two phenomena which hold the media in a pinch, it is vital to find new economic models.
A new economic model that is emerging
Certain new media like The Good Life stand out from their competitors by focusing heavily on the quality and depth of content, but also on a paper format as beautiful as a book, which is a luxury for a press title.
It is an effective strategy, multiplied when coupled with another major winning trend: the rapprochement between media and e-commerce .
Indeed, the development of brands, strong content and expertise today allows certain players (like The Good Life or BonneGueule) to diversify with great ease, without venturing into unknown sectors.
For example, for The Good Life, known for its curation capabilities (selection of the best lifestyle topics, design pieces, vacation destinations, etc.), launching a concept store of carefully selected products is a logical next step.
And for BonneGueule, a community focused on explaining men's fashion and textile techniques, launching a clothing brand was also an obvious choice.
But only recently has it become inexpensive to distribute content and products. This is what makes this fundamental phenomenon possible: the media are launching e-commerce platforms, and e-commerce players are editorializing at high speed .
A danger: becoming judge and party again
The only danger, as Laurent Blanc points out in the video, is mixing genres. The media part must remain a media (for example, you cannot be a judge and party by advising your own products in an advice article), and the business part must remain a business. Period .
This is a big point of attention for these new economic models which must in no case fall back into the excesses of their predecessors who were too close to their advertisers (even if this is normal for lifestyle media).
Team opinion and selection on the Good Concept Store
Confident in the team's ability to find good things (and to explain them in a funny way), I asked everyone to select the piece that suited them best. You will see that there really is something for everyone.
Some things are very accessible, others not. But the idea is once again to help you discover things and make you aware of design.
Florian - Comfort
This “ faucanap ” (contraction of the word armchair and sofa) is a real call to relaxation: its Scandinavian style is minimalist, but not banal (perfect for enjoying a good glass of Henri Bardouin in complete tranquility). And of course, it allows you to accommodate a second person because two is always better.
50's 120 Sofa - Celadon Cotton - Red Edition.
When will there be a collab with a motif like this? A shirt seems playable to me :)
Nicolas - Zen
I chose this kettle from the famous Italian design brand Alessi for the ingenuity of its creation. And I'm talking about ingenuity in the technical sense. Indeed, design serves an aesthetic role here, but above all a practical one.
Kettle - 9091 - ALESSI.
See that imposing golden spout that seems to have two chimneys? This is where this kettle revolutionizes the little world of kitchen accessories, because this whistle when the steam comes out produces a melody, in E and B, short and pleasant like the sound of a flute (instead of from the usual distressing sound of the kettle meowing).
Geoffrey - The dreamer
One of my hobbies as a big boy that I don't find much time for anymore: comics.
The opportunity to redo the complete XIII (during the holidays, I am allowed to take association trips alone in my room in front of my fan and a pile of books, above 30 degrees). The story is cool and full of twists and turns: a guy wakes up with amnesia with a bullet mark in his scalp. The rest would be spoilers (and Benoît sulks when I spoil ).
More artistic, this book from Taschen (legendary publisher of decoration and fine arts) on the use of wood in architecture and interior decoration. Totally in line with what I love at the moment: raw and authentic materials!
Wood Architecture Now! Flight. 2 - Bag.
Benoît - The prudent
I was surprised to see that there was even a yellow fire extinguisher .
And above all, a nice fire extinguisher, something rather rare.
The particularity of this fire extinguisher is that it works with powder. It is the only fire extinguisher that can extinguish all types of fire. Perfect if your nephew incorrectly unplugs an electrical outlet on the carpet, while your friend misses his Cointreau flambé, while your girlfriend accidentally drops the bottle of rubbing alcohol into the barbecue at the same time.
And then you can always say that a firefighter friend gave it to you.
Alexander - The Traveler
For my part, I decided to take the plane and cross the North Atlantic Ocean , finally landing at the other end of the United States: in Los Angeles precisely. You will excuse the lack of originality in my choice but it cannot be otherwise.
I've never been there, and I feel a pressing need to go to Fairfax Avenue and shop all the streetwear stores there (the avenue is famous for that!): Crooks and Castles, Supreme, Diamond Supply and Co to name but a few.
On the program: purchases of caps, t-shirts and hoodies to return with a full suitcase. Of course, I will also take the opportunity to go to brunch with Kim Kardashian.
Luca - The music lover
I have always dreamed of having a design object with a very specific technical interest.
These Davone speakers are the very illustration of my whim. Their conical shape allows for optimal 360° sound dispersion (I dream of living in a lighthouse). The subwoofer (completely isolated in a compartment) is oriented downwards, increasing the sound harmonization (therefore totally balanced).
DAVONE - Mojo White Speakers.
Judiciously placed in your living room, they will arouse the curiosity of the most sensitive girls and will do their ears good (even if it comes after homemade pesto pasta, we won't do it again).
